A Girl's Best Friend
by Noir Chandler
Summary: Everyone finds Amu Hinamori to be a cold girl. With her sharp gazes and pink hair, she's been constantly mistaken to be a rebel. But with the help of an unlikely best friend, will help her believe in herself more, overcome challenges, and even find love.
1. Prologue

Hello. This will be probably the second fanfiction I'll ever publish. I'm terribly sorry that I deleted my first story. It's just that I lost my muse for it and couldn't bare to write an inadequate one when I'm not inspired to finish that story. I hope I can finish this one, though. Anyway, please enjoy this little prologue. I'll release the first chapter right after this one. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! or any of its characters.

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><p><strong>A Girl's Best Friend<strong>

**Prologue:**

Sunlight glimmered on a simple-looking house. Some of that warm light shone through the curtains of the house's bedroom and lit up the dirty, paper-littered floor of the room. There were wires and bolts scattered everywhere and a few wrenches were lying on a messed up bed. But the little human girl who was busily working on her study table didn't seem to mind the clutter. Her eyes were focused on the teddy bear as her hands skillfully placed various machine parts into the teddy bear's insides. She took a few odd looking screws and fitted them into the stuffed toy's head and adjusted a few cogs by its legs.

"Hmm…Now where did I put that heart component?"

The girl swiveled around, opening and closing different drawers and tossing out random items out. "It's got to be here…Where did I put it?" she mumbled, tossing a hammer out of one of the drawers. She let out a small sigh when she spotted it hidden beneath a pair of socks. "Huh. How did it get here? No matter. I'm almost done!" The girl scrambled back to her table and slowly, carefully placed the small, heart-shaped heart piece into a gap in the teddy bear's chest part.

The moment the small, crystal heart piece fitted into the gap, a steady heartbeat began. All the cogs started spinning silently and it gained a wide grin from the girl. "Awesome! Now to patch you up!" she said. The girl took a big jar of special stuffing out from under her table and carefully filled the teddy bear up with it, not worried about it jamming the cogs. The girl reached for some thread and a needle, and quickly sew the teddy bear shut.

"You're gonna need something…."

The girl dug under a pile of clothing and found a black-buttoned blouse. "Perfect." she said, ripping two of them off the blouse. She carefully sew the buttons on the bear's head and connected it with the eye mechanism. "Now you can see." And for a final touch, the girl took a big red piece of ribbon and tied it around the teddy bear's neck to make a neat bowtie. "Anastasia, you've outdone yourself." she bragged. "Now, time to test you out." Anastasia sat the bear up and cleared her throat.

"Go on. Say something."

At first, the teddy bear didn't move. It's cinnamon pelt still and unmoving. But then it twitched a paw, and then an ear. "Something." the bear squeaked, its high pitched voice ringing loud and clear. Anastasia bolted off her seat and giggled happily. "Awesome! I did it! You're alive! I made a living teddy bear! High five!" She stretched out her hand towards the teddy bear and stifled another giggle when it patted her hand with its paw.

"So Bear, how's your progress?"

It had been two months since Anastasia Glimming, child prodigy, created her living teddy bear. She spent the past time training the bear to speak properly and educated it in basic topics. "I've managed to finally master the basic operations of Rational Expressions and am moving to Biology." it said. Anastasia nodded and jotted down his words on a piece of paper. "Good! You're doing great!" she said, "Pretty soon, we'll have you learning Geometry! Oh, how I wish dad was here to see this. He'd be ecstatic." Bear looked at the girl and noticed the sad glimmer in her usually cheerful, blue eyes.

"Are you feeling the emotion of sadness, Ms. Anastasia?"

"What? Oh, no! I'm quite fine."

"You're eyes tell me otherwise.."

"Well, it's just that dad's science experiments take him away from home usually and I'm left all alone. I mean, who leaves an 8 year old kid by herself? But then again, I _am _a genius."

"He will come back. You always tell me he loves you. And if you say he loves you, then he does. Because you don't lie, Ms. Anastasia."

Anastasia looked at Bear happily and grinned. "You always know what to say, don't you?" Bear merely nodded, his button eyes on the young girl. "You know what Bear? I think I know what you'll be once you've completed basic education!" She picked up bear and hugged him tightly. "You're going to be a best friend. Someday, you'll find someone who'll you'll want to take care of, who you'll want to cheer up. You're going to give them advice, and make them laugh, be a shoulder to cry on, and who'll be the closest friend that person will have."

Bear looked at the young genius with a glint of surprise in its eyes. "That seems hard. Besides, how will I know if that person is the one I'll become best friends with?" he said.

"You'll know. Don't worry. And I know you'll be the best, best friend you can be."

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><p>It's not too long, and hopefully not too short for a prologue, I hope. Please stay tuned for the next installment of my story. Please rate and review, if you can. Thank you.<p> 


	2. Murumo

Thank you for choosing to read my fanfiction. I hope you will enjoy this chapter! This is where you'll be meeting Amu's best friend. Not much romance will be found here, actually, there is no romance at all. But don't worry. There will be some in the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! or any of its characters.

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><p><strong><strong>Chapter 1: Murumo<strong>**

"Mama, mama! I want a toy!"

A small child pulled the hem of her mother's dress, her honey-gold gaze burning with determination. "But Amu, dear, don't you already have that new doll I bought you a week ago?" the woman sighed. With her pink hair swishing side to side, the child shook her head. "But it's not the same, mama! I want a soft toy!" Amu protested. After egging her mother on for another few minutes, the woman finally gave in and agreed.

"Fine, we'll go to the Toy store and get you a new friend."

Amu eagerly ran out of her house and waited impatiently for her mother to follow. For a three year old, Amu was quite the smart-mouth. She kept calling out to her mother, begging her to come out quickly. "You can make a whole magazine in only a week! Why do you take so long in changing?" she said. When her mother was finally ready to go, Amu grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the streets.

"Amu Hinamori, you do not rush your mother like that."

"But you take so long to change and we're burning daylight here!"

"Well, I wait for you when you pick out a toy, and you don't hear me complain, do you?"

"Touché."

The streets were crowded with people, each one of them hurrying to their destination. But the little pinkette wasn't fazed by the crowd. She just dove right into the mass of people and pushed her way through. "Excuse me, make way, I'm walking here!" she'd say as she and her mother closed in on the toy store. The store clerk greeted the two with a toothy grin, his aged face beaming down at the excited youngster.

"Hello, Midori. Back to my store so soon?"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Tonaka. My little Amu suddenly had the urge to buy a stuffed toy."

"Well don't worry, Miss Amu. I have tons of toys for you to choose from."

Amu merely smiled at the old man before dashing into the many aisles of the store. She studied every furry face of every stuffed toy she would come across and then leave, not satisfied with them. It took a mere ten minutes before she came back with a rather dejected look on her face. "None of them are good for me!" she told her mother with obvious disdain. Midori sighed sadly and apologized to the old salesclerk. "It seems like she can't find a…_compatible_ toy to have." Midori whispered in Tonaka's ear.

The old man rubbed his long beard and thought for a moment before letting out a happy "aha!". He creakily made his way into a room labeled: "Storage" and disappeared in the clutter of the entire inventory. Amu listened intently to the toys clattering and clunking and smashing in the room. With all the noise Mr. Tonaka was making, the pinkette swore it was like he was having some huge battle in there. Midori merely chuckled at the noise. Five minutes passed before Tonaka came out. He was dusty, messy-looking, but nonetheless pleased with himself. In his hands was probably the cutest thing Amu ever laid her eyes on. "A teddy bear! Oh, and he's got a bow too!" she squealed. In the arms of Tonaka was a dusty old teddy bear with chocolate-brown eyes. It had brown fur, a mocha-colored muzzle and camel-colored patches for its paw pads. Its magenta nose was faded and the middle was barren black, and the ribbon it wore was slightly torn at the edge.

But Amu loved it anyway. "This little fellow was something I got during my trip to London. Poor thing was just sitting there in the window of an antique shop." Tonaka chuckled as he blew off bits of dust off the toy's head. "So I bought it and brought it here. He's very special, because he was handmade. And I'm giving him to you. You've been a very good customer of mine, so here." Amu took the teddy bear in her arms and gave it a big squeeze.

"He's perfect! He's so soft and fluffy! I'll call you…..Murumo!"

Midori smiled happily at Amu and dipped her head towards the happy old man. "Thank you Mr. Tonaka, you've made Amu very happy." she said. Mr. Tonaka nodded and waved a goodbye to the two of them when they left. All the while, Amu was talking to her teddy bear. "You're going to love your new home! I'm going to great care of you, Murumo!" she giggled.

And Amu kept every word. The moment she and her mother got home, Amu gave her teddy bear a good bath and hung his bow out to dry. She sprayed a little perfume on him, had tea with him, and even made a makeshift bed for him out of some spare blankets. Amu would gaze at Murumo lovingly and shared lively conversations with him as if he were as alive as a human being. Amu would sometimes catch her mother amusedly watching her have heated debates with Murumo about the flavors of ice cream or what animal is fastest and would smile happily at her mother.

But the pinkette's happiness was not to last. For only a month after getting Murumo, her mother was involved in a car accident. According to what she heard from the nurses, Midori died on impact and was already being prepped to go to the morgue. With no other family left, Amu was transferred to an orphanage where she spent the remainder of her childhood at. She wasn't exactly a social bird there at the orphanage and rarely talked. Her distant looks, her sharp gaze, and her hair color made most of the orphans think she was a rebel.

Her reptutation as one was further popularized when she beat up a big shot bully for teasing her about her hair color. But seeing as how she would show a compassionate side to the weak and bullied kids, they nicknamed her the "Cool and Spicy Princess". Amu didn't like her fame, though. She wasn't at all what the other kids thought her to be. Only her teddy bear knew of her real shy and kind side.

Only Murumo knew the real her. And one night, she learned more about herself than she could ever think about. It was exactly three years since her mother's death and a rainy day kept all the orphans indoors. Many of them were found playing in the living room, or chatting with each other on the hallways. But Amu was inside her room, on her bed, and looking out her window with a bored look on her face.

"I really dislike rainy days. What do you think Murumo?"

Said teddy bear stared blankly back at the pinkette and said nothing. Amu smiled at her friend and nodded. "Yeah, I think so too. With all the kids inside, there's hardly any quiet left." she chuckled. The pinkette withdrew from her window-watching and flopped on her soft bed with a small thud. With her teddy bear tucked safely in her arms, she let out a sigh and closed her eyes. "You know what, Murumo? It's my sixth birthday today." she said. "You know what that means, right? Yup. You and I are going to have a little party. Just you and me, old friend."

And with that said, she put Murumo down and clambered towards a big chest at the foot of her bed. Amu took out a small party hat, a chessboard, and a deck of cards. She put the hat on her teddy bear's head, and proceeded to lay out the chess pieces on the checkered board.

"Since it's my birthday, I'll be white this time. Let's see…..Pawn one to E-4."

Amu waited patiently for her teddy bear to make a move, her honey-gold eyes staring at him fiercely. "This time, I'm going to win." she chuckled. Amu gasped in mock shock when she moved a black pawn and claimed her white one. "Shoot, you're not going to go soft one me even today, huh?" Amu spent the next few minutes intensely battling her teddy bear in chess. But inevitably, Murumo won. "Aw man, I never win.." she chuckled. "Well, now that the party game is done, let's sing my birthday song." She propped up the teddy bear right next to her, looked at the window, and let in a deep breath.

"Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me. Happy birthday, happy birthday…."

"_**Happy birthday to you…**_"

A loud thump and a startled squeak was all Amu did in response. Her teddy bear was sent flying all the way back to the bed. She had not expected to hear her teddy bear really sing along with her, and when it did, of course she was totally surprised. The pinkette stared wildly at her toy with an almost terrified gaze, her honey-gold eyes widening in shock.

She flinched when her teddy bear moved one of its stubby arms. It got up, turned around to look at Amu, and frowned. "_**I'm sorry I startled you, Amu-chan…I thought you wanted the both of us to sing along…**_" it said suddenly, its high-pitched voice ringing loud and clear inside the empty bedroom. "_**Please don't be afraid. I won't hurt you, honest.**_" Murumo extended his arm once more in an attempt of some sort of handshake. "_**I mean, I don't have any claws to hurt you with, now do I?**_" Though taking a few seconds, Amu calmed down and neared her teddy bear cautiously. She looked at his friendly, brown gaze before, she too, looked at him in a friendly manner. "Hey, why haven't you ever talked before?" Murumo put his paws together in a small clap and smiled at Amu, his thread-drawn mouth forming into a smile.

"_**I wanted to make sure that you trusted me enough to really think I was alive, despite knowing that a toy like me couldn't possibly have a life of my own.**_"

"But I always thought of you as a living being from day one! You could've trusted me back then."

"_**Amu-chan, trust takes time. Even though you clearly showed me you respected me, you were but a stranger to me then, and why would I reveal such a secret to a stranger?**_"

"Well…I guess that's true."

"_**But I've come to trust you over the years, and I thought the perfect time to tell you my secret would be now.**_"

"Though, you could've told me more…um…what's the word?"

"_**Discreetly?**_"

Amu nodded in agreement to his guess. "Yeah, discreetly. You nearly gave me a terrible fright when you suddenly started singing like that." she said.

"_**True, but you shouldn't have thrown me so harshly. I could've dislocated some stuffing.**_"

The pinkette looked at Murumo as he spent the next hour telling her on how he had watched her eagerly take care of him during her earlier childhood, and how she would always hold tea parties with him. "_**But let's talk about now. I've rarely seen you talk to the other orphans. Is it that they dislike you?**_" Murumo's worried gaze made Amu feel almost happy. No one had ever worried about her like that in a good while.

"It's not that. The orphans see me as a role model because I stand up for what is right." Amu explained with obvious loathe to each word. "I have to make sure my actions will appease them, because if I don't, I'll be letting a lot of them down." The pinkette raised an eyebrow when she saw her teddy bear shake his head. He patted the space beside him for her to sit down and then, did he explain.

"_**Why do you have to please others? Of all the people here, you should please yourself first.**_"

"Are you saying I should stop caring about the others? That would be.."

"_**I never said that. It's a great thing that your kindness has stretched to this length, but you must first make sure that you don't sacrifice your own being in the process.**_"

Murumo poked his fuzzy paw on Amu's forehead. "_**No matter what happens, never forget to still be you. Because being you is the best person you can be.**_" he said, his gentle voice soothing Amu's worries away. "_**You can still be the role model you are now. Just make sure to show them your real side every now and then. It will show them you're not as hard and cold as they take you to be.**_"

Amu nodded and hugged her teddy bear tightly. "Thanks, Murumo. This is the best birthday ever." she giggled. "Now, let's play another round of chess, shall we?"

"_**Certainly. But fair warning: I've been playing this game for fifty years."**_

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><p>Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please rate and review. Look forward to the next chapter! (If you have any suggestions or comments, don't hesitate to do so. Constructive criticism is also highly appreciated.)<p> 


	3. The Star Festival

Here's the second chapter for "A Girl's Best Friend". This chapter here was inspired by a new novel I read. It was all about festivals and such, not to mention the yukatas. (The setting was in Japan.) Not much romance here, but there will be in the next chapter. And I would also like to thank those people who were kind enough to review my story. I hope to get more reviews in the future.

Disclaimer: I do not own any cannon characters of Shugo Chara!

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: The Star Festival<strong>

"Amu-chan, hurry up! We're leaving for the shrine!"

The pitter patter of footsteps shook the halls of the orphanage. Dozens of children, all dressed in decorative yukatas, hurried out of the building. Boys and girls of many ages lined up, each one showing a happy look on their faces. Only Amu was still in her room. She was watching all the goings on outside from the safety of her bedroom window. "I don't know why I have to go. It's not like anyone will actually miss me if I don't go to the shrine." she sighed, blowing a stray bang from her face.

"_**But Amu-chan, you're the only orphan that the others will take orders from. Without you, the staff will have trouble watching over all of the kids.**_"

The pinkette's gaze shifted towards her teddy bear, Murumo. The cinnamon colored bear was busily adjusting his bow, his black button eyes concentrating on his reflection on a floor mirror. "I know, I know. But I don't see why those grown-ups have to make me wear a yukata. I'm not _really_ going to be celebrating. I'm just supervising." Amu said. Bending down into her chest, the eight year old took out a shimmering orange yukata with bold-red, cherry blossom prints.

"I mean really, I don't have the audacity to wear this. I'm more of a pants-and-shirt kind of girl."

"_**Audacity? I haven't heard you use that word before, Amu.**_"

"Oh, it's one of the twenty new words I'm learning to use this week."

"_**That's quite a nice find. I never expected you'd find that word in the dictionary so soon.**_"

"I know, right? I believe that a wide vocabulary will help me express my feeling more without much misunderstandings or misinterpretations."

Amu giggled a bit before gasping and scowling at her teddy bear. "Don't change the subject! I'm not going." she said, tossing her yukata on her bed. With a huff, the pinkette walked back to her windowsill seat. "_**Too bad. I guess we'l just have to wait next festival to eat….chocolate Taiyaki.**_" Murumo mock sighed, pretending to sadly slump down on the bed. Taiyaki. That one word was all it took for Amu to put on her yukata and join her fellow orphans downstairs. As she walked with the kids towards the shrine, Amu glared at Murumo. "You tricked me." she hissed, her mouth trying to hide the smile that threatened to show.

The bear merely shrugged and enjoyed the festive sounds and sights from his place in Amu's arms. The first stop Amu went to was, of course, the Taiyaki stall. Mr. Kazuma, the owner of the stall, happily greeted the pinkette. "Ah, Amu-san. The usual, I presume." he chuckled, pouring in a waffle batter into a mold. "You presume correctly." was her response.

With Taiyaki in one hand and Murumo in the other, Amu strolled around, casually hopping from stall to stall. She didn't bother to buy anything else. All she really wanted was the Taiyaki she was busily munching on. Murumo, on the other hand, had requested she buy him a new, red ribbon. Amu bought a ruby-red one with leaf designs on it and tied it onto Murumo's neck.

"You owe me one. The ribbon you chose was expensive."

"_**I'm terribly sorry, Amu-chan. But even stuffed toys need to look their best.**_"

"Whatever. Just make you don't ask for anything mo…Eww! That is repulsive!"

Amu stifled a disgusted groan when she spotted two couples sharing a romantic moment, both individuals exchanging saliva with each other, so to speak. "Kissing. Yuck. It may be a way of showing affection to an individual, but kisses shouldn't be in public. It just seems to take away the intimateness of the kiss." she sighed, looking at her teddy bear for any comment. "_**But that depends on the person. I don't think those two teenagers are even aware of other people watching them. So, technically, the intimacy is still there.**_" The bear said, tilting his head to the side.

"Really? Never thought of that. But hey, I guess it's allowed to be all mushy since it's the Star Festival." Amu chuckled, walking towards a tiny forest of bamboo. On almost every stalk were five or more colored strips of paper tied to the branches and adorned with many ornaments. Amu bent over to read some. She knew that they were supposed to be private and all. "But if they're going to hang there romantic aspirations in public, the public might as well read them." Amu thought aloud.

One strip read, "Please let Hishima-kun and I marry in the future." Another one read, "Please, please, please let me get a boyfriend this year." As Amu busily read each strip one by one, she failed to notice a person running in her direction. "Woah, watch it!" Amu collided with the person with a loud bang. Letting out a startled squeak, Amu fell backwards and landed hardly on the brick floor. Her teddy bear was sent flying a few centimeters away. "_**Eeep!**_" Murumo exclaimed.

The pinkette let out a groan, patting her rump gingerly with a hand. "Oww.. Hey, watch where you're going you airhead!" she growled, her honey-gold eyes narrowing at the boy who, too, fell to the ground on impact. His emerald green eyes met her honey-gold ones and he dipped his head. "Geez, I'm so sorry! You okay?" he said in a panicked tone. Pushing a few of his alloy orange bangs aside, the boy stood up and hurriedly helped up Amu.

"Well, apart from the obvious fact that you caused me to land quite abruptly on a hard, cold floor, I'm more or less unscathed."

"What?"

"I'm fine."

"Oh, that's good! I'm just glad that.."

"Murumo!"

Pushing away from the boy's grip, Amu ran towards her teddy bear and picked him up, gently patting off dust from his fur. "_**Hold me, I'm so cold…**_" Murumo whispered in a weak voice. Amu let out a relieved sigh and chuckled. "I'm glad you're okay. Though you could've used more whisper in your 'I'm done for' act." she said, to which the teddy replied with a happy nod. Just then, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, is that toy yours?" It was the boy who Amu had ignored. He looked at Murumo with a happy gaze and smiled. "I've never seen a teddy bear in such good condition."

Amu whirled around and nearly gasped when her face nearly collided with the boy's. "W-wh-what do you want?" she demanded, her grip on Murumo tightening. The boy rubbed his head nervously and smiled at Amu. "Well, I just wanted to say sorry. I really didn't see you there." He said. Amu let out a huff and chuckled. "Well, that was kind of obvious." she said. The boy's smile widened and he extended his arm towards the pinkette.

"Uh…I'm Kukai Souma, nine years old. Nice to meet you."

"Amu Hinamori, eight years old. This is my best friend, Murumo. The feeling is mutual."

"Well, Amu-chan, as compensation for running into you, may I humbly offer to buy you something?"

"Hmm. Taiyaki will be a very lovely means of compensating."

And so, Amu got to enjoy another delicious, chocolate-filled pastry. The only difference this time was that she was eating with someone this time. Kukai chuckled when Amu got some chocolate on her cheek and casually wiped it off with a tissue. "Geez, who knew you had a soft spot for sweets?" he said.

"Murumo."

"Well, now you can include me! Come on, let's go over there! We can play games with some of my friends!"

"Err, I'm not really a, what do you call that? I'm not a people person."

"Relax, they don't bite!"

Amu felt herself being pushed towards the shrine's lake by Kukai. The boy was definitely stronger than he appeared, and he seemed to have no problem in pushing the pinkette towards a group of kids despite her protests. "Hey guys, I'm back! I brought a friend!" Kukai called, waving at the group. The first kid to greet Amu was a plucky little brunette with burnt orange eyes. Her hair was held up in two pigtails and she wore a pink t-shirt and blue shorts. "Hello, hello! I'm Yaya-tan!" she giggled, fully tackling Amu down. Both girls fell to the ground with a thud. Yaya, seemingly oblivious with what just happened, continued to giggle while lying on top of Amu. "Wow! Yaya-tan's never seen a girl like you! Yaya-tan never saw a girl with pink hair! Oh, what an adorable teddy bear! Where'd you get him? Is it handmade? Is it…" As Yaya continued her bombard of questions, Kukai pulled both girls up and flicked Yaya on the head.

"Oi, Yaya! You don't go tackling every person you meet!"

"Yaya-tan doesn't care! Yaya-tan does what Yaya-tan wants!"

But the plucky brunette immediately quieted down when a petite blonde spoke. "That's quite enough Yaya-chan." she said, her cute voice seemingly laced with a dangerous malice. With a squeal, Yaya sheltered behind Kukai and fearfully stared at the blonde. "Sorry Rima-tan…" she said. Rima nodded and turned her attention to Amu, her brown gaze practically piercing the pinkette.

"_How intimidating…._" Amu thought as she attempted to smile at the seemingly scary blonde. "Uh, hi. I'm Amu Hinamori." she said awkwardly. Rima nodded and smiled at Amu. "I'm Rima Mashiro, age 8 and this bother is Yaya Yuiki. She's eight too. It's nice to meet you." she said, a friendly aura radiating from her. "_Oh my stars, she has two personalities…_" Amu thought.

"And I'm Nagihiko Fujisaki, age 8."

Amu tilted her head a bit and met the amber gaze of a tall, feminine boy with long, purple hair. He smiled at Amu and took her hand in his, implanting a gentle kiss on her hand. She withdrew her hand and hid it behind Murumo. She felt her face flush with heat and covered herself with her bear. "Uh…hi." she mumbled, avoiding eye contact with the young boy. Nagihiko chuckled and looked at Amu in a cheerful way. "Interesting friend you brought, Kukai." he said, tossing Kukai a somewhat mischievous look.

"So, Amu, what'd Kukai do to convince you to leave the festivity of the shrine?" Nagihiko asked, his sweet smile making Amu feel skeptical. The pinkette raised the remains of her Taiyaki and shrugged. "Not much. Just a little bribery." she answered. Kukai chuckled and slapped Amu hard on the back. He grinned wildly at the pinkette and dragged her towards the open field. "Alright. We're done with the introductions. Now let's play! You do know how to play soccer, right?"

The boy picked up a soccer ball and kicked it towards Amu. The pinkette gasped and ducked, the ball missing her head by a mere centimeter. "Y-you almost hit me!" she gasped. She felt Murumo squirm in her grip and saw that her teddy bear was glaring at Kukai. "_**That wasn't called for…**_" she heard the bear whisper.

"Well, you were supposed to hit it back to me with your head."

"And what, injure my head in the process? No way. I need that for thinking."

"You know, if you're afraid of taking risks, you'll never have fun playing this game."

"But I don't want to play soccer!"

"Oh, I get it. You're chicken."

Amu's eyes narrowed as Kukai proceeded in making clucking sounds. "I am not!" she said indignantly.

"Are too!"

Amu looked at the soccer ball. With a lightning-fast kick, she sent the ball soaring right towards Kukai. The boy's clucking ceased when his emerald gaze met the speedy hazard. Smirking, he jumped up and stopped the ball with a well-aimed kick. It fell harmlessly at his feet. "See? You're great at it! So, what do you say?" he said. "Let's play." Amu gaped at the boy in shock. She had been tricked. Again. How degrading. But still, she liked the feel of adrenaline when she kicked the ball.

"….Fine.."

The kids split up into two. Amu and Nagihiko were on one team, Yaya and Kukai were on the other. Rima assumed the role as the referee and somehow managed to bring a whistle to use for the game. It was an intense match. Amu had never had so much fun in a long, long time. As she snatched the ball from Yaya, she looked over to the stands where Rima and Murumo were. The teddy bear, currently being held by the cute blonde, was smiling brightly at the pinkette.

"Amu, pass it here!'

She kicked the ball over to Nagihiko, who, dashed past Amu and scored another goal in between two sakura trees. "Great aim, Nagihiko-kun!" Amu cheered, flashing the boy a smile. He nodded and ran towards her. "Nice snatching. That was pretty cool." he admitted, giving Amu a high five.

"Hey, great job guys!"

Amu grinned at Kukai and gave him a thumbs up. "Thanks." she said. A shrill whistling got everyone's attention. Rima looked at everyone and cupped her mouth. "3-5! Team Nagihiko wins!" she said. Yaya let out a somewhat disappointed sigh, but chuckled nonetheless.

"Man, Yaya-tan really wanted to win!"

"But you have to admit, Yaya. Amu's got mad moves."

"True, true."

Amu felt happy talking to these kids. They were such a blast to be around with. After the game, the group headed back to the stalls. "As a prize for winning the game, I'll treat you two to some cotton candy!" Kukai chuckled, handing Nagihiko and Amu some fluffy pink food on a stick. The pinkette looked at the cotton candy. She had never eaten anything like that before. She felt an elbow nudge her gently and saw Nagihiko politely show her how to eat it, merely smiling at her as he did.

"Thanks.."

"No problem."

Time flew by fast for Amu. She had never had so much fun with any person in the longest of times. Before she even realized, it was time for the orphans to leave. She heard her name being called by one of the orphanage staff and sighed. "Oh, I'm being called to attend to my little charges. See you guys later." she told her friends. They didn't question why she had to attend to so many kids, nor did they bother to ask her where she came from. For that she was very grateful.

"See you later Amu!"

"Bye, bye Amu-chi!"

"Hope to see you again, Amu-chan."

"Have a safe trip, Amu."

She waved a goodbye to her new friends and headed off to join the orphans. She could hear her friends chuckle in amusement when she herded the younger kids to the entrance of the shrine. "Come on you lot, if we don't hurry back to the orphanage, Mother Mellus won't give us any dessert!" Amu threatened. The orphans let out squeals and picked up their paces. None of them wanted to skip out on the Orphanage's cook's special pastries.

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><p>When Amu had gone, Kukai and the others were enjoying the rest of the afternoon sitting on the benches near the lake. A gentle voice caught Kukai's attention. "Sorry I'm late, everyone!" A young blonde boy ran up to the group, his breath ragged from all the running. His dainty face was so flawless and could rival any girl's. And the way his cheeks were all flushed up didn't help. "Uncle wouldn't let me out until I finished separating the Oolong tea leaves with the Jasmines." Yaya tackled the young blonde, almost exactly like she did with Amu.<p>

"Tadase-chi! You missed out on an amaing girl! She was so pretty! Her hair was so smooth! She smelled like freshly-picked strawberries! Her eyes were so dazzling! And, and she even beat Kukai at soccer!" she giggled, her speed of words almost impossible to understand. Tadase, as the boy was called, chuckled nervously and gently pushed the chattering brunette off of him. "I guess I _did _miss out on quite a lot." he said. Kukai let out a laugh and pulled the blonde up, his grin widening at the thought of Amu managing to beat him at his own game.

"Seriously, dude. She was amazing! Her kicks were like a pros! And she told me she hadn't played soccer in years!"

"She must be a genius."

"Not quite. She can kick a ball accurately, but she has no clue on how soccer is really played."

"Haha. How'd you get a girl as hesitant as her to play soccer?"

"Taiyaki."

Tadase's confused look made Kukai laugh even harder, his ribs were starting to ache from lack of oxygen. "It…it was a form of….of bribery..haha…" he choked, wiping a tear from his emerald eyes. Tadase smiled at Kukai and nodded. "Wish I was there. Do you know where she lives? We could go play with her again." Tadase asked, tilting his head to the side. No one spoke after that question. Even Yaya had shut up to ponder. "Er…Yaya-tan doesn't remember hearing an address come from her mouth. Nope, nope, nope." The brunette suddenly giggled.

Kukai gave himself a slap on the face. "Oh, yeah! Shoot, why didn't we ask her for her address?" he asked himself. Tadase chuckled and just shrugged. "We all forget sometimes. Anyway, do you at least know her name? Or did you forget to ask that to?" he said. It was Nagihiko who answered this time, his smooth voice emphasizing the pinkette's unique and beautiful name.

"Amu, Amu Hinamori."

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><p>That's it for this chapter. Please look forward to the next one! Rate and review, if possible. And don't hesitate to give me constructive criticism. I really do need to sharpen my story-writing skills.<p> 


	4. The Prince

Hello there! I apologize for this chapter's delay. To tell you the truth, I had three versions of this chapter and I wasn't satisfied with any one of them. So it took a while for me to finally think of a nice way to introduce Tadase into the story. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy this latest installment. I'll be uploading more in the future!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any characters of Shugo Chara!

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: The Prince<strong>

The Orphanage was in a major uproar. Kids were running here and there, squealing and shouting. Summer had arrived and almost every one of the orphans was busily enjoying their school-free days. The staff, on the other hand, had their hands full trying to watch over the energetic bundles of destruction. Many of them wished it would be time for school again, so that the orphans would go inside and study quietly in the Orphanage's Study Rooms. "Ryuu-kun, stop pulling those flowers!" a member scolded. "Chihiro-san, stop crying. You're not going to die because of that little cut." Another one fretted.

"Stop making so much noise! You're disturbing the neighbors."

That one sentence from Amu immediately shut up the kids. The pinkette glared at each orphan before speaking. "It's fine to have fun, but don't be too noisy. You'll tire the staff out and you'll lose your voices from all that murderous torture your putting your vocal chords in!" she told them. Some of the younger orphans gasped and grabbed their throats, their eyes widening in fear. Amu let out a sigh and waved at them dismissively. "Other than that, just don't over-do it, okay?" The orphans nodded at the pinkette before resuming their games, the noise decreasing drastically.

"Ah, Amu-san. You're a life-saver!"

"What would we do without you?"

"Only Amu can tame the orphans."

Amu merely shrugged off the staff's compliments. She had heard them so many times, she barely even acknowledged their words as anything more but useless blabber. The pinkette went back to her room and grabbed Murumo. "Come on, old buddy. Let's go to the park." she told her stuffed toy. "_**Tired of scolding the orphans, huh**_?" the teddy bear chuckled, his button eyes gleaming with amusement. "_**It must really be a handful for a nine year old like yourself to discipline others day in and day out**_." The pinkette sighed. "You took the words right out of my mouth."

Amu didn't need permission to get out of the Orphanage. She had the privilege to come and go as she pleased. The pinkette, with bear in hand, made her way to a nearby park. In contrast to the noisy grounds of the Orphanage, the park was like a forest during the winter: silent. A few turtle doves and pigeons were cooing and chattering on the branches of trees. Some ducks were enjoying a little swim in the pond. Amu looked around. Not a lot of people came to this park.

But she liked it that way. "The less people the better.." she muttered. "More silence for me." The pinkette just walked around, admiring the leaves that covered the sun's rays from her face. She adjusted her sun hat. Amu's skin wasn't really built for the sun. Many times, she had to wear jackets to keep her skin from getting damaged. But today, she added a little flare to her get-up.

She wore a sleeveless carnation-pink summer dress which had two cerise ribbons that were connected to her dress and were tied on her neck. She also wore a black jacket with hoodie over her dress. It had two pink stripes that ran down her jacket's sleeves and the front half of the jacket was white with a pink skull print on the right side of the front half. The edging of the jacket was black with two pink stripes. Amu kept her hair in a semi-pony tail with a red x-shaped clip and she wore white, knee-length socks with pink sneakers.

"Murumo, I'm bored."

"_**I share your boredom, dear**_. _**There isn't much to do now…**_"

The pinkette's gaze strayed off. She didn't want to admit it, but it was boring without any orphans to scold. She missed reprimanding them, and threatening them to behave. "Oh great, I sound like some twisted sadist.." she sighed. It was days like these when she regretted not having any friend, other than Murumo of course, to talk to. Her attention was caught, however, when the familiar chime of a silver bell rang through the park. "Kuppuru is here!" Amu smiled. She turned her bear towards the direction of the small ice cream nearby. "_**He's early today..**_" Murumo murmured. "_**He usually comes by at noon.**_"

Amu ran to the small ice cream stand near the park's grove of Sakura trees. Kuppuru was an odd fellow. Though his home-made ice cream was probably better than branded ones and that he'd make a killing if he sold his products at a more popular park, the young adult somehow chose to sell them here. But Amu didn't mind one bit. She loved his company. She loved his ice cream. "Why wouldn't anyone not like his ice cream?" she once told her teddy bear. The pinkette waved her arms in the air. "Kuppuru!" she called out. The brown-haired man turned to meet the pinkette's gaze with his own emerald ones.

"Amu, welcome back! You're early today."

"I could say the same thing to you, Kuppuru-san!"

"Well, I wanted to start a little early is all."

The pinkette smiled eagerly as the man scooped up some chocolate ice cream. He returned her smile when he gave her the wafer-contained treat. "The usual?" Amu nodded and placed the needed amount on Kuppuru's open hand. She looked at her sweet treat merrily before remarking: "It's bigger than usual." Kuppuru seemed surprised with her answer. He let out a chuckle. "Very sharp, Amu. It's just a reward for being my number one customer." he said merrily. The pinkette nodded and dined on her snack. She looked around a bit more before spotting some other kid eating ice cream.

"Hey, did that kid buy from you too?"

She studied Kuppuru's expression as he craned his neck over to see the child. "Ah. Him. Yeah, he bought a Vanilla Swirl from me. I've never seen him around before though." the man finally said. Amu's gaze lingered on the boy. His skin was very fair, and seemed to be radiating under the few rays of sun that sneaked through the shading leaves of the trees. His blonde hair was quite long, considering he was a boy and his bangs were even more so. His face, how could she put it? It was as if she were looking at a girl. Cocking her head to the side, she eyed Kuppuru suspiciously. "Are you sure it's a boy?" Kuppuru nodded almost instantly. "No doubt about it." Amu still wasn't convinced. What if Kuppuru was pulling her leg again? The ice cream vendor did have a tendancy to joke around. She walked over to the blonde and called out to him. She hesitated though. Upon closer inspection, the blonde boy(if he really was a boy) didn't seem all too happy. He even looked a bit depressed.

"Oi, your ice cream's dripping."

The blonde flinched and looked up at her. She pointed at the ice cream that was dripping to the floor. He made a small gasping sound and quickly licked up his ice cream to stop any further dripping. In his haste, he smudged some of the white cream on his cheek. The sight was just too cute for Amu. She let out a giggle and saw the boy flinch again in surprise. "You're funny." Amu laughed. She leaned closer to the boy till her face was only centimeters from his. "Now you're all dirty." Amu dug into her jacket pocket and took out a pink, frilly handkerchief. She carefully wiped off the vanilla ice cream off the boy's cheeks and smiled.

"There. All better now!"

She looked confusedly when she noticed the boy blushing a deep red. "Hey, what's wrong?" she said, leaning closer to check on the blonde. In response, the boy let out a small squeak. Amu drew back instantly. "Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot about your personal space…" she muttered. "Hi, I'm Amu Hinamori." The pinkette outstretched her hand and offered it to the boy. "…I..uh..I'm Tadase Hotari.." was what Amu managed to hear. The blonde took her hand and shook it ever so gently. But Tadase drew back when Amu grinned widely at him.

"I knew it! I knew it!"

"Uh, huh?"

"You're a boy! I thought you were a girl at first! But your name confirms it!"

"Yeah….I get that a lot.."

"But don't take it the wrong way. It's okay to be cute. I like the way you look."

Amu failed to notice Tadase's face blush an even deeper red when she said that. The pinkette smiled and sat next to him, gently placing her stuffed toy beside her. "So, you like vanilla, huh?" she said. Tadase nodded happily. "Vanilla's my favorite because it tastes more like milk. And I love milk." The pinkette's eyes twinkled upon hearing the word milk. "I love milk too! It's great for your bones and helps you grow taller! But my favorite ice cream flavor has to be chocolate." she giggled. She looked at Tadase warmly with her honey gold eyes. This was the first time she ever warmed up to a stranger so quickly. "Say, is vanilla really that good?" Tadase nodded enthusiastically. "You've never tasted it before?" he gasped slightly. When the pinkette shook her head, Tadase's expression looked bemused. "Have you tasted Chocolate before?" she retorted. Tadase gave her the same reply. Then Amu had a great idea. She held up her ice cream cone up to the blonde and smiled. "You can have some of mine!" she grinned. Tadase smiled in return and offered her his cone. "Ditto." His voice made Amu blush. "_T-too cute_!" she thought as she fought back a blush.

Both leaned in and licked up some of the other's ice cream. "W-woah! It's so sweet!" Amu remarked, savoring every flavor the white ice cream offered her. She glanced at Tadase and found him smiling warmly as well. He licked up another bit of the chocolate ice cream before locking gazes with Amu. Almost immediately, the blonde boy flushed a deep red and turned away. But Amu could tell he was smiling. "I'm glad you liked it." she chuckled. The next few minutes were spent finishing their dairy treats. Amu wiped a bit of the cream off her cheek before she spoke.

"Anyway, what are you doing here? I haven't seen you in this park before."

"Er, I kind of…um…ran away from home?"

"Eh? Why would you do a thing like that?"

"It's complicated…"

Amu recalled Tadase's sad expression when she first met him. The pinkette picked up Murumo and squeezed him. "Is that why you were giving your ice cream the sad look?" When he nodded, Amu let out a sigh. She got up and looked at the blonde determinedly. "Well. It's none of my business what happened to you." she said, "But now it's my business to cheer you up!" Tadase shook his head gently.

"That's kind of you, but I don't think…Woah!"

Tadase stared surprisingly at Amu when the pinkette grabbed hold of his hand. His mahogany eyes locked on her gentle smile. He allowed himself to be pulled along by the pinkette. They eventually found themselves at the park's flower field. The quaint little area was all but deserted, but it was nonetheless in top form for playing in. Before he could protest, Amu pushed him into the multitude of flowers. The sweet scents mixed in the air as he came down with a gentle plop and he saw Amu grinning at him as, she too, got down beside him.

He saw the pinkette looking at him while pointing to the sky with her finger. He looked up. He gasped. Huge cumulus clouds passed by and looked like white bushes adorned with the many-colored flower petals that had been picked up by the breeze. "I always come here to cheer me up. You can say it's my special place." Amu's chuckle made Tadase smile. He looked at her, and held back a chuckle when he saw her hair. Her pink hair was decorated with the pink petals of the Sakura trees they were nearby. "_The breeze must've carried them here_.." he thought.

The petals made Amu look like a strawberry ice cream with heart toppings. And it made her look cute. Amu noticed Tadase staring at her and gently shook off the petals when she figured out why. "Hey, no fair!" she pouted, sprinkling some of the pink petals on Tadase. When he let out a sincerely happy laugh, Amu smiled. "There, you're finally cheered up." she said. Tadase nodded and gave her a dazzling smile. "Yeah, I guess I did."

The minutes flew by as the two of them gathered up some flowers. While Amu made a simple bouquet with the flowers she had, Tadase weaved a neat crown from his. "Hinamori-san?" He placed his flowery crown atop the pinkette's head when she turned to face him. "Just as I thought, it looks beautiful on you." he smiled. Amu felt her heart skip a beat. She looked down, refusing to reveal the blush that had just showed up on her face. But she was smiling. "Thanks.." she stammered.

"_**Ooh..My dear, you look like a bride with that crown and bouquet**_..." she heard Murumo whisper. Amu pinched her teddy bear's ear and was rewarded with a small squeak. "Oh, shush.." she whispered.

"Tadase-kun, let me try something.." Amu purred.

"Um, okay."

She took off the crown she wore and placed it on Tadase's head, then she handed him her bouquet and looked him up and down. "Wow, you'd make a lovely bride." she grinned. She saw Tadase's face redden like a tomato. "B-b-bride? I'm a boy!" he snapped, playfully nudging Amu with his head. The pinkette merely laughed. A few other voices joined in the laughter. But the tones were more of mockery than of amusement. Both kids turned to see three boys laughing at them. One boy with spikey, red hair guffawed. "Well, well, well. What do we have here? What's Miss Rebel doing playing with flowers?" he sneered.

"What do you want, Ken?"

"So harsh! Me, Hiro, and Aijima were just passing by."

"If you were just passing by, you'd still be walking."

Hiro "oohed" and playfully jabbed at Ken's shoulder, his green bangs covering his face as he did. "She's still a wild one, ain't she?" he chuckled. Ken brushed the green haired boy's hand and walked up to Amu. The pinkette, in turn, stood up and held her ground. "Why don't you introduce us to your pretty friend over there?" Ken asked, shooting Tadase a sneaky smile.

"He's a boy, you dunce."

The pinkette got a satisfying reaction from the three bullies. While both Ken and Hiro gaped dumbly at her, Aijima grabbed his brown locks and pulled it down in embarrassment. But what happened next ticked her off. "Woah! What a perfectly good waste of a girl's body!" Aijima laughed. Amu glared at the brown haired boy. "Shut up, Aijima-san. You couldn't look that good even if you had surgery." The pinkette hissed. Before she could react, Aijima came upon her and snatched Murumo from her grasp. He waved it high in the air, just high enough to be out of the pinkette's reach.

"Ooh, tough talk coming from a girl who still plays with stuffed toys!"

"Give him back!"

While Aijima kept taunting her, Tadase rushed up to the boy and landed a well-aimed punch on his stomach. "Oof!" Murumo was sent flying in the air as Aijima fell backwards. Tadase jumped and caught the bear, giving it to Amu afterwards. "Are you okay?" Tadase asked the pinkette. When she nodded, he turned his attention to the boys. "Only a coward would assault a lady." he warned them. "You shouldn't do such horrible things!" Amu gasped when Ken pushed Tadase down. He brought down his leg and roughly slammed it on the blonde's chest, causing Tadase to gasp in pain.

Amu turned to help Tadase out, but quickly found herself pinned down by Hiro. "Not so fast, Miss Rebel. Let Ken do what he wants." he growled. Amu glared at the green-head before she writhed around. "Let me go, jerk!" she snapped. The pinkette looked down and saw that Murumo was furiously punching at the boy's stomach. But the teddy bear's cottony blows were barely even picked up by Hiro. "_**Unhand her knave**_!" Murumo seethed. Just when Ken or Hiro were about to continue bullying them, A tall shadow fell upon the kids. The bullies turned to meet the scary gaze of Kuppuru, his emerald eyes glinting with agitation.

"This is a little rough for play, don't you think boys?"

Kuppuru bent down and effortlessly lifted Ken's leg off Tadase's chest. His force was strong enough to send the red-head staggering backwards. "I will not permit any violence in this park." His voice was soft, but had quite an effect on the bullies. Hiro quickly withdrew from his grasp on Amu. "Huh. W-whatever.." he said as he helped Aijima up. The trio walked away, all of them fuming over the humiliating defeat.

Amu quickly ran to Tadase's side and helped him up. Kuppuru dusted off the dirt that Ken's foot print had left. "Daijoubu?" she worriedly said. It took a few seconds, but he eventually nodded in response. "H-hai. I'm just a bit shaken up is all…" he said quietly. Amu let out a small squeak when Kuppuru grabbed her arm. She let out a small groan and winced. "Your hand is sprained.." Kuppuru muttered. The brown-haired man put a hand in his pocket and pulled out some gauze. "Always be prepared." he said merrily. "Man, it was lucky that my stall was nearby."

Amu's eyes were on Tadase while Kuppuru busied himself with bandaging her wrist. She noticed that Tadase was frowning again. When he was done, Kuppuru checked on Tadase and bandaged up a small cut on his hand. "There you go! All better!" Kuppuru purred. "Hey, why don't I treat you two to some ice cream? It'll make you feel better."

"No thank you." Tadase's voice was simple. Amu shook her head as well when Kuppuru turned to her. "_Maybe next time_.." she whispered. Kuppuru let out an "Aah." and winked. Dipping his head, the man turned and headed back for his ice cream stall. With a tired sigh, Amu plopped back down to the grassy ground. She looked at Murumo and tsked. "Aw, look what those jerks did to you, buddy." she whined. She carefully patted off the dust from Murumo's pelt and straightened his fancy, red bow. "How's that?"

"_**Much better**_."

Amu smiled. She turned her attention back to Tadase. The blonde was moping on his spot. He had curled into a sitting fetal position and was absently twirling a flower in his hand. Her smile faltered after a while. "_He's depressed again_…" she thought. Amu carefully scooted closer to the blonde. She didn't want to be too quick. When her body was almost close enough to press against his, she looked down to say something. But stopped when she caught something sparkling in his eyes.

Tears.

They were rolling down his face.

Amu gingerly placed her hand on his shoulder, but he flinched away. "Tadase-kun? Look, I'm sorry for what those jerks did to you. You shouldn't listen to…"

"I couldn't protect you…"

Amu leaned closer. "What did you say?" she said.

Tadase turned to lock gazes with the pinkette, revealing his tear-stained face to her. He wiped a few of his tears. "I couldn't stop them from bullying you. I'm really weak.." he admitted. "I don't like it when people fight with each other, but I can't even defend myself." He looked at Amu again and sniffed. "Much more someone else." As he continued silently weeping, he felt something soft touch his head. He looked up and saw that it was the crown Amu had put on his head. Though it had fallen off him during the scrap, the pinkette managed to keep it from breaking. He looked at her confusedly.

"Well, we're still kids. Of course we can't really beat those guys. No need to be so harsh on yourself."

"B-but, I couldn't even lift his foot off of me."

"And I couldn't get that baka Hiro to get off of _me_. Tadase, you're my hero."

"I…I am?"

He blushed when Amu smiled warmly at him. Her cheeks pink with embarrassment. "Hai. You saved Murumo from being injured. This little guy is my only family. I wouldn't know _what _I'd do if he'd disappear from my life." she said softly. Without warning, Amu leaned over and planted a small kiss on Tadase's cheek. "Thanks for saving him, ouji-san." She smiled shyly at him before burying her face into her teddy bear's fluffy body. Tadase just sat there for a while, taking his sweet time taking the full effect of the kiss. He stammered a great deal as he tried to say something, anything at all. "Ah..I…Um…" he said. He took a deep breath, and then leaned to return a small kiss on Amu's cheek. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a small squeeze. Both kids were now blushing brightly like two Christmas lights.

When Tadase hugged her, Amu accidentally dropped Murumo. The bear landed on the grass with a soft thud and slowly looked up to see the kawaii scene. "_**Ahh, sweet youth**_…" Murumo sighed, a small smile on his furry face. "_**But you didn't need to drop me**_…." The teddy bear grumbled a bit before resuming his place on the ground.

The two nine year olds stayed in that position before Tadase suddenly drew back, his face turned away from Amu. "_W-w-what in the world was I thinking? I hope I didn't creep her out_…" he thought worriedly. When he dared look back at Amu, he found her looking at him curiously, a faint blush still apparent on her fair, white skin. Tadase let out a nervous chuckle

"Er..Um…Sorry."

"Oh! I-it's okay. Um…So, are you all better now?"

"Yeah, I am. Thanks for cheering me up."

Amu smiled and picked up Murumo. She put him on Tadase's lap. "I think it's time I introduce you to my family. Tadase, this is Murumo. Murumo, this is Tadase." she said. Tadase looked at the cinnamon-colored bear and nodded, shaking one of the bear's paws. "N-nice to meet you." he said. In no time at all, the two went back to their lively conversation. This time, they talked about their family. Amu explained how her mother died and how she was now known as the Orphanage's "Iron Maiden".

Tadase told her of his uncle, who raised him up after his parents left him. He confessed that he ran away because he had an argument with "Tsukasa-jisan" about his picky pallet. "It's childish, isn't it?" he chuckled nervously. But Amu merely shook her head. "It's alright to be childish now. We're still kids. We should enjoy our right to be childish. That's what Murumo tells me." she scolded playfully. Before they knew it, afternoon rolled in with darker, but nonetheless clearer skies. Tadase got up and patted some grass off his shorts.

"Well, I guess I better go apologize to Ojisan. He's probably worried sick.."

"Yeah, I guess you should. It was really fun playing with you, Tadase-kun."

"Me too, Hinamori-san."

When both were ready to go, they turned back and smiled at each other. "Sayonara." Amu grinned. "Sayonara." Tadase turned and headed out the park. Amu watched him go and waited till he was out of sight before she headed back for the Orphanage too. "_**My, my. I've never seen such a finer specimen of gentlemen such as that Tadase fellow**_." Murumo suddenly spoke out. The teddy bear squirmed in the pinkette's grip so as to make himself comfortable. "_**Oh, he was like brave little knight the way he saved us**_." Amu giggled. She looked up to the sky before shaking her head. "_Iie. He wasn't a knight. He was more like….a prince_." Her thoughts ended up with her blushing like a tomato when she remembered Tadase's princely smile. And that earned a good amount of teasing from Murumo. "_**I just thought of something**_. _**I think you shared your first kiss with that boy**__." _The teddy bear let out a laugh and chuckled contently, flailing his arms about happily. "S-shut up, will you?" she stammered, trying hard not to increase her blush.

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><p>Tadase was practically smothered to death from his uncle's tight hug when he entered his estate. "Tadase-kun! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to yell at you, honest!" Tsukasa whined. "Don't hate your Ojisan! I'll be more considerate of your tastes…" Tadase surprised his look-alike uncle when he hugged the man back. His mahogany eyes stared up apologetically at Tsukasa's purple ones. Before he knew it, he began crying again. "Gomenasai, Ojisan!" he wailed. "I didn't mean to make you worry!" Both men shared a good, make-up hug before they smiled at each other.<p>

"So, tonight we'll have Udon noodles, okay?"

"Hai, Ojisan."

The two made their way into their traditional Japanese house. Tsukasa suddenly noticed something. "Tadase-kun, where did you get that flower crown?" the man pointed out. Tadase seemed as if he _just _remembered he was wearing the girly accessory. He took it off and stared at it admiringly before he blushed a bit. Tsukasa hid a smile. "Did someone give that to you?" Tsukasa chuckled.

"Iie. I made it. I gave it to this girl I met at a park that I ran away to. She gave it back to me to make me laugh."

"Ah? A girl? Was she cute?"

"She was beautiful! Very beautiful! Her eyes were so dazzling, and her smile was..was.."

"Oooh..She seems nice."

"She's very kind! And she's great to talk to. Oh, Tsukasa-jisan. If only you were there, you'd understand."

Tsukasa let out a small chuckle. They continued walking silently for a few seconds before their conversation continued. "So tell me, what was this girl's name?" Tadase pondered a moment.

"Amu Hinamori."

"Eh? Isn't that the name of the girl who you told me Kukai told you about last year?"

"W-what?"

"You know what I'm talking about. After last year's Star Festival, you came home telling me about this pinkette who managed to beat Kukai at soccer."

Tadase stopped in his tracks. He had completely forgotten about that! But it couldn't have been the same girl Kukai was talking about. "_She was amazing, dude! She had lightning-fast kicks! And did I mention she has a thing for chocolate? And she carried this simply adorable teddy bear with her!_" Kukai's words echoed through his mind. Tadase realized it. The girl that Kukai and his friends were all talking about was the same girl he met today.

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><p>Well, that's all for now! How was it? Was it okay for you? I hope it was! I was all fluffy inside while writing this. I do hope you'll rate and review this chapter. I'd really appreciate it! Anyway, I hope you'll be looking forward to the next chapter. I promise it will be at least adequate for you guys! Thanks for readingliking my story!


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